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I just feel VERY VERY strongly that eating at home with your family is one of the most important things we can do for them. It doesn't matter how sophisticated your culinary skills are. You are teaching them skills, spending precious time together, getting in more whole grains and vegetables with less salt, sugar and fat... or processed stuff.

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My "day job" (This was a sheep brain dissection.)

Y'all are just going to have to give me a pass, artistic license if you will, on this page. I am a scientist, so my brain is
stimulated by finding evidence for these types of things!

Scientific evidence that cooking may have given us (humans) our big brain:

Here is a link to an article that cites scientific evidence that cooking our food has helped the brain size of humans evolve into what they are today. It's a pretty interesting read if you are a science minded geek like me. Report - Cooking may have given us a big brain

Scientific evidence shows that cooking at home is inversely related to obesity:

A 2003 study by a group of Harvard economists led by David Cutler found that the
rise of food preparation outside the home could explain most of the increase in
obesity in America. Cutler and his colleagues surveyed cooking patterns across several
cultures and found that obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount
of time spent on food preparation. The more time a nation devotes to food
preparation at home, the lower its rate of obesity. In fact, the amount of time
spent cooking predicts obesity rates more reliably than female participation in
the labor force or income. Other research supports the idea that cooking is a
better predictor of a healthful diet than social class: a 1992 study in The
Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that poor women who routinely
cooked were more likely to eat a more healthful diet than well-to-do women who
did not.

It seems a ton of folks have jumped on the Gluten-Free bandwagon lately. For individuals with Celiac disease, this is a must... but a lot of people seem to think that this is a fast track to weight loss.

Here are two articles on the subject:

The first article is a bit science heavy but shows gives many research study citations:

4 comments:

Many of the recipes have a link right above the ingredient list that says Click for Printable Recipe. This link will lead you to a printable version. If you encounter a recipe that does not have it, let me know and I'll be happy to add that.

Thanks so much for writing your blog. I agree with you about eating out. I hardly ever eat out, but contrary to evidence, have actually put on weight eating at home. There is a reason - because I was diagnosed as a celiac and can actually keep food down now.My favorite recipe so far - "coconut lime chicken" - and its gluten free.

About Me

I am a prototypical modern American mom. I am retired professor of Anatomy & Physiology at a private Christian University, and mother to four beautiful children (3 boys and 1 girl). I am also a food blogger, cookbook author, and have owned my own cafe. My background is a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience with emphasis on antioxidant research. My postdoctoral training was in human obesity and caloric restriction.

I grew up in South Louisiana where the best food in the world is routinely brought from the garden and the water, and put on the table. Everyone in my family of origin is a wonderful cook, so I guess it is just natural that I show my love to my family through food.

I love cooking and eating... and teaching my children the art and techniques of being in the kitchen. My mother taught me that there is always SOME part of the cooking process that even small children can help with...so my kids are indeed very familiar with the kitchen, the kitchen tools, use of homegrown herbs, etc.